Business Software Alliance

The BSA was created by Microsoft in 1988 in an
attempt to combat software theft. The alliance includes the
majority of leading software publishers including Novell,
Symantec, and Autodesk and is actively campaigning in over
65 countries.

The BSA operates a three-pronged approach: 1. Lobbying to
strengthen copyright laws and co-operation with law
enforcement agencies. 2. Educating the public through
marketing, roadshows, etc. 3. Bringing legal actions against
counterfeiters. BSA's aims are the same as the Federation
Against Software Theft but it is not limited to the UK.

In December 1990 the BSA obtained the first legal order in the
UK which allowed a surprise search on a company's offices for
suspected copyright infringement.